"They didn't come with poll taxes. They came with badges and subpoenas — and they showed up at people's front doors with their kids watching. The raid was not a sign that Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC). was doing something wrong. It was a sign that they were doing something right. And so are you." — Kenn Dowell, Strategic Moves
Hey. Welcome back Substack. Kenn Dowell here, Cleveland born, Glenville raised, and never afraid to say what needs to be said.
That’s what voter suppression looks like in 2026.
On June 11th, over 100 FBI agents fanned out across Ohio — knocking on doors, questioning volunteers, seizing devices from people whose only crime was helping their neighbors register to vote. The Ohio Organizing Collaborative has been doing this work since 2007. No charges filed. No explanation given. The FBI still isn’t talking.
The message landed loud and clear: If you help Black people vote in Ohio, we are watching you and here’s what they were really trying to do.
OOC didn’t operate alone. Organizations like that are the connective tissue between dozens of community groups and civic builders working across the state. When you raid the hub you send a message to every spoke on that wheel. Cut off the head and watch everything go quiet.
To the Collective PAC, Building Freedom Ohio, the Khnemu Foundation, and every organization doing ground-level civic work in Ohio — hear me clearly:
We see you. We got your back. Keep going.
The raid wasn’t a sign OOC was doing something wrong. It was a sign they were doing something right. And so are you.
Now here’s what I need everyone else to understand.
I’m talking about the Black church — historically the most powerful organizing body our community has ever produced. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to every Freedom Summer before this one the church was never just a place of worship. It was the war room. We cannot let confusion or fear silence it now.
I’m talking about your NAACP chapter. Your block club. Your Greek organization. Your family. Every organized space where Black people gather with trust already built — that is civic infrastructure.
Let me be clear about what the law actually allows. Any church, nonprofit, or community organization can legally register voters, host candidate forums, educate members on issues and legislation, encourage civic participation, and partner with nonpartisan voter registration organizations — all without touching their tax-exempt status. The only line is officially endorsing a specific candidate. Everything else is protected. It is your right. For the Black church — it is your legacy.
Don’t run from this moment. This is exactly the moment you were built for.
Now I need to speak directly to two groups.
First — everyone who feels like government hasn’t done anything for them and has decided to sit this one out.
I hear you. But hear me — they just sent 100 federal agents to intimidate people who were helping you register to vote. They didn’t do that in communities that don’t matter. They did it here because we are the target. Not bystanders. Not collateral damage. The target.
Your absence is not a protest. It is a gift to the people who showed up at those doors with badges.
Second — my independent voters.
I respect that position. But independence is not on the ballot this November. The only thing an independent achieves by not voting in this race is handing victory to whoever benefits most from Black voter suppression. They sent 100 federal agents to stop Black voter registration five months before this election. If your vote didn’t matter they wouldn’t be at those doors.
Not voting is not independence. In this moment — not voting is surrender.
This is not a Democratic Party fight. This is a Black community fight. This is a fight about whether the people in power get to decide — without consequence — that your participation in democracy can be shut down.
That is what is on the ballot in November.
I want to take you somewhere deeper for a moment.
In the summer of 1964 hundreds of organizers flooded the Deep South to register voters who had been shut out of democracy. They were met with violence, intimidation, and arrests. But history was on their side.
They called it Freedom Summer. One year later — the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. John Lewis bled on that bridge in Selma. And he spent the rest of his life calling the next generation to stand up for what is right when everything around them said sit down.
He called it Good Trouble.
This is our Freedom Summer. Freedom Summer 2026. Ohio is our bridge.
The tactics changed. They’re not using fire hoses — they’re using subpoenas. They’re not blocking the courthouse door — they’re knocking on your door at home. But the intention is identical: make you feel like your participation comes at a cost too high to pay.
Our ancestors paid a higher one. We owe them Good Trouble.
Not just organizations. People. Individual people willing to do the work because they understand what’s at stake.
Knock on a door and ask your neighbor if they’re registered
Bring this conversation to your next family gathering
Walk into your block club, your church, your NAACP meeting and put November on the agenda
Share this post when it would be easier to scroll past it
Show up to Freedom Summer 2026 when staying home feels more comfortable
None of that is illegal. All of it is powerful. Every single one of those acts is Good Trouble.
Connect with Freedom Summer 2026. Bring your organization. Bring your church. Bring your block. Bring your family. Come alone if you have to — we’ll build the rest together.
They came to Cleveland because Cleveland is organized. Let’s make sure they regret it.
Get in some Good Trouble.
[https://vfbfpac.nationbuilder.com/]
Are you ready to get in some Good Trouble for your community before November? Tell me where you are and what you’re willing to do. Drop it in the comments.
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great that’s why it’s hard to be big when little gotcha.”
— Kenn Dowell | Strategic Moves Media Network | aStrategicMove.com
Perfectly on target. Thank you for this.